Apr 01,2008 00:00 by
UPI VAIL , Colo. -- A 10-inch snowfall in the Vail area contributed to a 50-vehicle crash that resulted in one death, the Colorado State Patrol said.

The heavy snow prompted a temporary closure of the Vail Pass Monday so emergency vehicles could reach the scene, The Denver Post reported Tuesday. At least 22 people were injured.

Elsewhere, storms moved through the South and East as dry air gave the mid-Mississippi Valley a respite from heavy rain, AccuWeather.com reported. Another storm expected later this week will bring a renewed threat of flooding in the mid-Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee valleys, forecasters warned.

The strongest storms Tuesday erupted along a cold front stalled along eastern Texas to Alabama, and were expected to move to the Eastern Seaboard.

Cities in the nation's midsection reported record rainfalls Monday. Chicago reported 1.19 inches, tying a record set in 1993. Muskegon, Mich., broke an 82-year-old record with 1.56 inches of rain, AccuWeather.com reported. Heavy spring snow was reported elsewhere.

In the east, rain was predicted to turn to snow by Wednesday from Upstate New York into Maine.

Rain will return to California Wednesday as a storm system moves into the central part of the state, forecasters said.